Cong manages to dominate Maoist-hit areas

The killing of Mahendra Karma earlier this year by Left Wing Extremists proved costly for Raman Singh government in Chhattisgarh as Congress bagged 8 of the 12 seats in worst-hit Naxal areas spread over six districts.

The region saw Congress President Sonia Gandhi and BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi campaigning aggressively as this part of the state is always considered as key to power. BJP had won 11 seats from these districts last time.

The wife of slain Karma, Devati, won from Dantewada Assembly seat defeating his BJP rival Bhimaram Mandavi by a margin of 5,987 votes.

Her husband, who was killed on May 25, along with 25 others which included Pradesh Congress Chief Nand Kumar Patel, had contested unsuccessfully from this constituency and stood third while the BJP's Mandavi bagged the seat by defeating Manish Kunjam of CPI.

BJP could manage to retain only four seats -- Antagarh, Jagdalpur, Bijapur and Narainpur -- where all the four sitting MLAs Vikram Usendi, Santosh Bafla, Mahesh Gadda and Kedar Nath Kashyap respectively won.

However, the winning margin for the four BJP candidates fell considerably this time.